The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to a system for identifying connections between devices in an industrial enclosure and, more specifically, to a system for providing a color-coded connection between the devices.
Industrial automation is increasingly being used to improve efficiency and increase throughput in manufacturing and other manual labor related operations. The automation may include, for example, a motor controlling an axis of motion on a machine, a conveyor to move objects between locations, and/or drive a tool used in a process. Although some operations may be fully automated and controlled, for example, by a programmable logic controller (PLC), other tasks may require some operator interaction due, for example, to infrequent or unscheduled operation. The operator may be required to start and stop operation or monitor an operating condition of the motor or controlled object.
Industrial enclosures provide a housing in which the controls for the motor may be housed. Knockouts in the enclosure allow power to be run into the enclosure. Operator interface devices, such as switches or buttons, which may receive input from the operator, or lamps or other devices, which may provide a visual indication to the operator, may be mounted to the front surface of the housing. Connections between the power input, the operator interface devices, and controlled devices may be made internal to the housing. The connections may be made directly or via additional devices, such as a transformer, relay, or protective device.
As is known to those skilled in the art, industrial enclosures may be customized in many varying configurations to perform many different functions according to an application's requirements. The industrial enclosure may include, for example, various combinations of operator accessible devices, such as start/stop pushbuttons, emergency stop button, selector switches, and the like and various combinations of internal devices, such as contactors, terminal blocks, relays, and the like. Connections between the operator accessible devices and the internal devices typically require two or more electrical conductors, or wires, for each device and separate wires are provided for each electrical connection. As the number of devices and the complexity of the enclosure increases, so does the wiring required to establish electrical connections between each of the devices. The required time and expense to assemble the enclosures similarly increases.
As is also known, a color coding scheme exists for the color of the insulation selected for each of the wires. The color is selected according to the type of voltage and/or function of the wire. For example, a wire carrying a continuous AC voltage at the supply voltage is black while a wire carrying a switched, or controlled, AC voltage at the supply voltage is red. A wire carrying a DC voltage is blue and a wire carrying AC from another source, such that it may remain hot when the enclosure itself is disconnected from power, is yellow. However, it is not uncommon that many of the conductors within the enclosure are the same color. For example, each of the conductors between the operator accessible devices and the internal devices may be red as they carry a switched AC voltage. The potential, therefore, exists that the electrician may miswire conductors between devices resulting in damage to the devices in the enclosure and/or unexpected operation and/or damage to the controlled device.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved system for connecting devices within an industrial enclosure.